FoL Gathering
darthcourt10
Well worn.
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Savato93
Well, I was outpaced by the author, but I doubt that means I can just skip over what I planned to write. I hope this is okay either way.
Gathering
XXXXXXXXXX
Shortly before departure
Sokie gripped the sealed letter in her hands ever tighter as she dove through the water, eyes scanning the water around her for the reef that marked her destination, deep in thought.
Mother was alive. ALIVE… and in the care of humans and shipgirls. Sokie was having a hard time believing it to be true—and she'd seen the proof with her own eyes—she couldn't begin to imagine how the others would handle it. They were finally beginning to move on, to accept Mother's supposed passing and let it fade into the past as they built a new future for themselves. Would they be happy? Would this just open up a wound that was just beginning to scar over? Would the humans even be willing to give them a chance to see her?
Shaking the thoughts from her head, Sokie noticed a splash of color in the corner of her vision. Carefully, she rose to the surface, checking every inch of sky above her for potential scoutplanes, before finally looking in the direction of the colorful object.
In front of her sat a massive cruise vessel—old and battered, the paint and lustre eroded over years of exposure to the elements, but no less impressive for it. Somewhere around eighty meters in length, the vessel was embedded up to the waterline in the coral reef that dominated this underwater mountain, stuck so firmly in place that the force needed to dislodge it far exceeded the force needed to simply demolish it where it lay. The coral was actually growing up into the hull in places, providing structure and support in spots where rust had begun to compromise the vessel's integrity.
Frankly, it looked like shit on the outside, but fortunately most of the interior had been designed to be watertight, and was in much better condition as a result… to the joy of the submarines that now called it home.
Wading up to the side of the vessel, Sokie lifted an arm from the water and banged it against the hull once, twice, three times. Everything was quiet, save for the creaks and groans of the hull, as Sokie waited for a response. Finally, with a distant rustle, a rope flew over the side of the yacht, into the water. Wrapping herself around the rope, Sokie gave it a tug with her free hand, and was swiftly pulled up towards the deck.
Three of her fellow submarines were waiting for her as she clambered up onto the floor. "Hello, sister," a Yo-class greeted her. "This is a rather unexpected visit."
"Yes, I'm sorry you weren't able to be notified in advance, Yolanda." Pausing to push a slick of hair out of her face, Sokie held up her letter. "Something incredibly important came up. I need to speak with our elder sister immediately."
The trio nodded and gestured for Sokie to follow. They stepped inside, navigating the mildly-deteriorated hallways as they descended into the bowels of the ship. After a minute of walking, the group arrived at a door—which at one point was engraved with the words "Game Room", but the word Game was scratched out, replaced with a hastily-scribbled "Throne". Opening the door and stepping in, the native submarines gestured for Sokie to join them.
At the opposite side of the repurposed room, a pale, white-haired woman rested in an old massage chair. "Hello, Sokie," the Submarine Princess greeted her with a smile. "I didn't realize you were scheduled to visit us this month."
"I'm not." Sokie stepped forward and held out the letter, which the Princess accepted. "Tanith demanded I do whatever it took to get this message to you. To guard it with my life. It is of the utmost importance."
The Princess stared at the opened letter, eyebrows furrowed. "What is it, sister?" Yolanda asked.
Finally, the Submarine Princess looked up, something like a glint in her eyes. Pulling out some paper and a pen, she rapidly scribbled down several notes and offered them to the Yo-class. "Yolanda, take these to our fastest, stealthiest kin. You, and they, are to set out for our sisters' fleets immediately."
"Yes, sister." Yolanda rushed off, orders in hand.
"Sokie," the Princess looked to the visitor, "Help me tell the others… to prepare to leave."
XXXXXXXXXX
"Upside down! Hold shark upside down!" A destroyer yipped. "It'll go stupid!"
"THE HELL I WI—GUH!" Sunny roared before she was yanked back underwater by her foe, a twenty-foot long Great White. The water above them churned as the fighters struggled against one another. After a few moments, the Demon's head managed to clear the water again. "I AIN'T NO DAMN ORCA!!"
"Oh, we know," Wonderous snarked. "An Orca wouldn't be getting its ass beat the way you are."
"YOU WA—GLUB!" Sunny was pulled underwater again. More underwater wrestling before she came back up. "YOU WANNA BE MY ROUND TWO, BITCH!? TRY ME, FUCKING TRY ME!!!" The members of Sunny's fleet broke out in snorts and chuckles. Their flagship always knew how to put on a good show.
This was one of the biggest sharks they'd come across in a while. With any luck, they would be eating well for at least the next week. First though, as was custom for them, someone had a go at subduing the beast with their bare hands. They often lost… but the rare victories were oh so exhilarating.
The fight continued for another minute with no clear victor in sight. Suddenly, the lone carrier of the fleet perked up as her scouts alerted her that something was approaching them. Taking a closer look, Wonderous picked up the IFF of one of their sisters. "Guys, we've got a friendly inbound. One of the submarines."
A head poked up out of the water yet again. "Huh?" Sunny cocked her head, eyes narrowed… before she was pulled back under by the shark. An abrupt ripping sound emanated from the water, and Sunny finally rose from the sea, leaning on it as it if was a solid surface as she pulled herself to her feet. "What could they want?'
"Sisters!" the Yo-class rose from the water and waved a hand at them excitedly… before pausing at the sight of the sea beneath Sunny's feet rapidly turning red. "Uh… what exactly is going on?"
XXXXXXXXXX
Sometimes, Ritou thought, becoming a Princess sucked.
Yeah, she could build ships now. Yeah, she could dominate the skies. But she was still a cruiser at heart. She'd rather be getting in close, breaking her opponents over her knee, ripping up smaller ships and lighting up bigger ones with her guns. She'd rather fight and die out on the seas than sit back and let her family do the dying for her.
And frankly, she'd rather be naked than wear that ridiculous dress. It was stuffy, it was overkill levels of frilly, and she had to wear A GODDAMN BONNET! Really, she envied Tanith. Sure, she was in pretty much the exact opposite situation—the most SHE had to protect her modesty was a scrap of metal and a fur coat—but that meant she wasn't constantly on the verge of overheating like Ritou was. And if it got cold… hey, she still had a fur coat.
She missed the days of her Ri-class bikini…
Ritou checked with her crew. According to her schedule, she was more or less done acting in an official capacity for the morning. She had the next few hours all to herself; she was free to relax. Sighing in relief, she reached up and ripped off her bonnet. Undoing her neck ribbon and the collar beneath, she gripped the top of her dress and started wiggling it down, off her body.
Suddenly, the door swung open. "Princess, we have a visitor! One of the subma—"
Ritou groaned loudly, the dress still over her hips. "Unbelievable…"
XXXXXXXXXX
Thank heavens, it had only been shark blood, rather than… well. None of the other options were very palatable.
Yolanda looked to the Na-class Destroyers cruising leisurely to either side of her. Sunny had told the pair to accompany the submarine, to help extend her observation range, so she could plot a fast and safe path for Sunny's group to follow as she pressed onward to the island Tanith and her fleet called home. Being destroyers, they were a touch more noticeable than Yolanda herself, which might pose an issue… but really, had there EVER been something crossing these waters that could have been a potential threat for them? In the Yo-class's experience, the very few human intrusions into this particular region of the ocean consisted solely of the occasional shipgirl patrol or scouter planes, both easily evaded or shooed away.
She glanced over to the nearby island. She'd been in this general area before. One of the other Princesses' scouts or fishers had noted some peculiar activity on the island—trees being cut down, random traces of smoke, the occasional odd sound—but cursory fly-overs showed that there was no port on the island, no visible buildings, no infrastructure. They really couldn't think of anything that might be on that island that could pose a threat to them, so they simply let it be.
Once more, Yolanda quietly surveyed the island. All was still. No noise whatsoever. Just as before, the island seemed completely desolate.
As she began to sail away, however, a sound reached her ears: the ringing of a bell.
Yolanda and her escorts snapped back towards the island, staring at it for several drawn-out seconds. Suddenly, the destroyer to her right let out a sound; she'd just spotted something dart inland from the inner edge of the shoreline.
Something was watching them.
Now on alert, the trio began to sail in a circle around the island, watching for any further suspicious movement. Around the time they had reached the opposite side of the island, Yolanda realized one particular indentation in the side of the island was more than an indentation; it actually appeared to be a natural pathway into the underside of the island. This warranted further investigation.
Motioning for the destroyers to follow her, Yolanda slowly advanced toward the cove, wary of the slightest movement in her field of view. It was as she sailed into the gaping maw of the cove that an IFF marker abruptly popped into existence in her system.
A remarkably familiar IFF marker.
XXXXXXXXXX
Regalia eyed the gauge on her water tanks as she sat in the shallow water of the island shore, facing the vast sea beyond.
Surely, at one point, there was a well or something on this island—some sort of water source where the residents wouldn't have to trudge all the way to shore and back, or maybe even wander further inland, in order to more easily get water to their people… and their crops. But whatever the case, it was gone now, nowhere to be found. So she instead had to collect water from the ocean, filter it, and use that. She couldn't argue that it wasn't preferable to carrying water to the farm bucket by agonizingly-slow bucket, but it still meant several hours spent laying in the water doing nothing, every couple of days, in order to refuel her freshwater tanks.
But her crops and her family were more than worth the boredom and discomfort.
As she sat there, waiting for her tanks to fill up, the Re-class noticed something on the horizon. She glanced down to the imps sitting on her thighs, handling the water pumps. "Hey, little guys, can we take five? I need to check something."
The imps shared a glance before shrugging. With a mild "Waagh", they pulled up the pumps and disappeared back into her hull. Regalia checked her tanks—a little over two-thirds full. That should be fine for the day, she thought. Rising to her feet, the Re-class stepped over to her knapsack, laid out on dry land, and opened it up. Reaching in, she pulled out a set of binoculars, using them to gaze out to sea.
She was greeted by a familiar sight—a head of silky black hair with a single horn. Setting the lens away, Regalia blew her foghorn—three quick blares, signaling friendlies. She didn't think Sunny and her group were supposed to be stopping by this early in the year, but what did it matter? They were always happy to have reunions. An unplanned visit just meant Sunny and her ilk could bring some fun when otherwise everyone would be stuck in their typical routine.
Regalia stood by, waiting as Sunny's fleet arrived at the shoreline. As their feet left the water and hit land, she rushed forward and gave the Demon a hug. "Hi, Aunt Sunny! Hi everyone!"
Chuckling, Sunny ruffled the Re-class's hair. "Hey, kid. How's life been treating you?"
Regalia glanced up to Sunny's face. "Pretty good, all things considered." Pulling away, she cocked her head. "You didn't warn us you were coming today."
Sunny closed her eyes, humming thoughtfully. "Actually, your mom summoned us here."
"Really? Why?"
"Said it was really important. But she didn't elaborate." Sunny glanced to her fleet, currently readjusting to walking on dry land. "Given the nature of the summons, I'd wager a guess and say all the other fleets are likely to be showing up, as well."
Regalia's eyes widened. "Really!?"
"Yep, it'll be just like old times." Sunny's smile faded, replaced by a concerned frown. "Just curious, but did anyone beat me here? I sent couple of my girls out ahead of me with the messenger, but I haven't heard back from them."
Regalia blinked. "Uh…no. You're all the first to show up in a while."
"…Odd…" Sunny shook her head. "Anyway, what do you say we head to the village, let everyone know we've arrived?"
Regalia smiled. "Sounds good to me."
XXXXXXXXXX
Inside the palace, a lone Princess sat quietly in her room, deep in thought.
It's not that she was upset that Mother was alive. Quite the opposite actually—she was having a hard time thinking of any prior point in her life where she was as happy as she was now. Not only had the traitors failed in their hateful crusade—countless ships and their matriarchs thrown away, just to hunt down one little girl—they had driven her, and others like her, into the warm, welcoming arms of the Humans and Shipgirls.
Reaching for the magazine at her side, she examined the cover for what felt like the millionth time. There wasn't too much that she could make out from the faded image, but… Mother looked healthy. Happy. From the article written within, the shipgirls had found her hidden among the rubble… the aftermath of the massacre of their family. Rather than interrogate her, torture her, dissect her… the humans took her in. Gave her a new home, a new family. Cared for her as one of their own. Even Aunt Wanko, far to the south, had been moved by the humans' kindness, had made peace with them for saving the life of her self-appointed 'little sister'. With all the love and support provided for her, Mother had been able to heal, grow, move on with her new life, just as Tanith and her sisters did now. The young Princess couldn't be happier for it.
No, the source of Tanith's worries was not her mother… but her daughter.
Long ago, with Mother's supposed loss still fresh in everyone's mind, she had resigned herself to the fact that Regalia may never be repaired. Although ultimately painless, the deformity was severe, and it extended to the very core of her being. It would take more than time in a dock to correct it, more than the undivided attention of a repair ship, even if that repair ship was the undisputed master of her craft.
No, the only way Regalia could ever be normal… was a near-total rebuild. To be stripped down, piece by piece, all the way to her misshapen keel. To cast that keel away, and reassemble her around a new, healthy spine. Re-mold each individual part of her warped body into its true shape, its intended shape, and return it to its place in her hull with absolute precision.
It would take an installation—a veteran installation, with untold years of experience constructing, maintaining, repairing hundreds and hundreds of ships, of every size and shape and model—to truly heal Regalia.
An installation like Mother… whom they had all believed dead and gone.
Tanith did not mean to belittle her Installation-class sisters. More than one of them had made the offer to try and help Regalia, and she was grateful to them for it. But they were young. Unguided. Their newfound capabilities were still foreign to them. And Aunt Wanko was simply not an option—she was just too far south, behind too many confirmed human convoy routes, which saw too much shipgirl activity for such an expedition to ever be viable. Faced with such insurmountable odds, what possible reason should Tanith give her daughter false hope?
But this magazine changed everything.
Mother was alive. She was safe. She was at peace with the humans and shipgirls.
She could heal Regalia.
Tanith's spirits were the highest they'd ever been in her life… yet at the same time, an unfathomable dread had come to rest in the pit of her stomach, fueled by a single question:
How would Regalia react to the news?
XXXXXXXXXX
Sunny had been the closest fleet, taking less than a day to reach the island. It was going to be quite some time before anyone else made it. Sunny's and Tanith's fleets spent the wait mingling, exchanging stories and souvenirs, and enjoying some baked potatoes courtesy of Regalia.
Nearly eight hours later, the sun was well on its way towards the western end of the sky as Ritou and Anchorage Princess finally made landfall, to everyone's joy. It only took another hour for the submarines to arrive, and a couple hours after that, Airfield Princess and Radioactive Airfield Demon finally rounded out the group. The island was gripped in twilight by that point, but nobody cared. For the first time in almost three years, everybody was together in the same place again. They weren't about to let a lack of daylight ruin the party. A few torches and bonfires were lit, and they went about their celebration under the stars.
It wasn't often Regalia stayed up as late as this; her crew ran a surprisingly tight schedule. But thankfully, they were willing to cut her some slack for the sake of a family reunion.
Stepping through the village, several of her aunts called out to her in greeting, and she responded back politely. Everyone was getting involved with something, be it listening to Ruadri's tales of the past, dancing and singing, sparring, cooking, or simply talking with one another. It made Regalia feel a peculiar sort of warmth inside her, seeing everyone coming together, using their odd talents to help their sisters have the best time they can… since there was simply no telling if a gathering like this would happen again.
She briefly wondered if this was what it was like in the outside world.
As she wandered through the square, she caught sight of a familiar cruiser. "Nero!" The Ne-class turned and smiled as her cousin rushed up to hug her. "I haven't seen you in ages!" Regalia exclaimed as she pulled back. "How have things been for you?"
"Hey, Regalia. You look like you're doing well." Nero glanced over to the side, where a couple of her fleet were working to set up a makeshift grill for her. "Things have been pretty good for me lately, to answer your question. I've taken up pretty much all of the cooking for my fleet now, not that anybody minds." She frowned. "I try to keep things mixed up, but I don't really have anything I can use to spice up the food I make, so I've got to get creative with brine and charring."
"Cool." Regalia brought a finger to her lips. "You planning on doing any of that tonight?"
Nero smirked. "You know it." Pausing, she leaned in as her smirk grew. "I also got something else going on."
"Is that so?" Regalia asked, curious.
Nero stuck her arms behind her back. "You remember way back when we first met? When I helped you catch those pigs running rampant in your farm, and you asked me what I'd do with them?" Regalia nodded. "Well, I figured it out. Close your eyes—it's something of a surprise."
"Huh?"
"Just do it, please?" Confused, the Re-class squeezed her eyes shut as Nero asked.
After several moments, she heard a rustling in front of her, followed by an odd grunting sound. "Okay, you can look again," Nero said. Now curious, Regalia opened her eyes.
Nero was holding a squirming little creature in her arms. Small, stubby limbs, vibrant pink skin with brown and black spots, a plump little belly, and a pair of big, curious eyes over a twitching snout.
"OHMYGODITSSOCUTE!!!"
Regalia couldn't help herself. Several nearby Abyssals stopped and looked towards the pair in response to the Re-class's delighted squeal.
"Isn't it?" Nero agreed, gently scratching the piglet's head with a fingertip. "I held onto those pigs, took 'em home with me, and I made a little pen to keep them in, to see if I could breed them for their meat. A little while ago, they finally made their first litter. I figured, why not celebrate the occasion by holding on to one of them? I mean, I've wrangled destroyers before, can't be too hard to take care of one little pig."
"Yeah…" some small part of Regalia couldn't help but feel Nero might be wrong on that point, but she didn't have it in her to point that out. "Can I hold it for a little bit?"
Nero held out her new pet. "Sure. Just be careful, it's a little skittish."
Regalin gingerly lifted the piglet from Nero's hands and held it to her chest. The curious animal stood wobbling on her palm and explored her face with its snout, eliciting a soft giggle from the battleship. She looked back up to Nero as she stroked the piglet. "Have you given it a name?"
The Ne-class scratched the back of her head. "…Not yet, actually. I've been hoping to go around and ask the others for suggestions…"
"What is that thing?" The two jumped at the voice directly next to them. "It's cute!"
Looking around them, Regalia and Nero discovered they had been surrounded several of their aunts, who looked at the piglet in Regalia's hands with fascination and adoration. "That critter is ADORABLE!" one of them cooed.
"Small! Small and fuzzy!"
"Didn't some of those things attack your crops, Regalia?"
"Yeah, but this one's a baby Nero brought over from her island. It's innocent," Regalia argued.
"Huh… I guess it's okay, then…" a pause. "You think I can hold it next?"
"Hey, I wanna hold it, too!"
"Me! Me!"
"But you don't have hands, Silver…"
"Relax everyone," Nero said with a grin, holding up a hand. "You can all take turns. Just be gentle, okay?"
Needless to say, the little piglet found itself the center of attention for quite some time.
XXXXXXXXXX
"It is time to tell the fleet the... good news... and to prepare for our... journey."
Sunny glanced from Tanith to her other sisters as they quickly rose from their seats and made for the exit, eager to inform their fleets of Mother's survival. Radioactive Airfield Demon and Anchorage Princess were practically vibrating with excitement, a gleeful smile plastered on both their faces. Airfield Princess and Submarine Princess still seemed a little shocked about the revelation, looking dumbstruck and blinking away tears. Ritou bore her typical laid-back expression, but Sunny couldn't help but take note of the extra spring in her step.
The Demon decided to let them handle breaking the news. She'd prefer to finish her drink first.
Sipping quietly from her goblet, taking a few seconds to savor the taste of citrus on her tongue, Sunny leaned back into her chair. "This is a huge risk, Tanith," she stated, glancing over to the eldest of their sisters.
Tanith looked solemn as she drew a circle on the map, their planned destination, and stowed the map away. "It is a risk… we have to take," She said. "We may be safe here… out of sight of the world… but all it takes… is one scoutplane… one curious patrol… in the right place and the right time…"
"And every shipgirl in the Pacific will turn their eyes—and guns—to us."
Tanith nodded. "We had… no reason to believe… the humans would grant us lenience. That they would… take us on our word. But Mother… she can validate… our sincerity in surrender. If we must be seen… I want it to be… on OUR terms."
She turned back, to the banner that hung over their heads. "We are but a… pale shadow of the… grand fleet we once were. But we are still many. Seeing our fleet, our numbers… might just give them pause. Provide us the time… to speak… to clarify our intentions."
"You don't think they might just shoot first, ask questions later?" Sunny asked. "What's to stop them from doing that?"
"The white flags…" Tanith pointed out.
"And if the flags are dismissed? Seen as a ruse, a ploy to let us get close and inflict maximum damage?" Sunny shook her head. "We need something more, some kind of leverage. Something that will discourage the humans from just shooting us on sight—"
At that moment, the doors to the throne room swung inward, revealing a submarine and two destroyers. The sub slumped over, gasping from exhaustion, and the Na-class destroyers collapsed on the floor, panting.
Sunny's eyes widened as she shot to her feet. "Yolanda! Girls! There you are!" She rushed forward, gripping the submarine by the shoulders. "Where the hell have you three been!? I've been worried about you guys all day!"
"…Odd island… hidden cove… prison…" the Yo-class mumbled between gasps.
"Slow down, slow down." Sunny held her hands up. "Take your time. I can wait a bit."
Yolanda spent several seconds catching her breath. No longer quite as blue in the face, she spoke again. "…Mother's prisoners… the wardens… we found them!" she exclaimed. "They're all still alive!"
Sunny blinked. "What!? You mean… Tandy and them?" A nod. "Even the humans?" Another nod. "How!?"
Yolanda pulled out a photo and handed it to Sunny. It showed decrepit a Canadian vessel, moored against a rocky outcropping. "They escaped on… their old ship. It's still afloat today, but it's more or less dead in the water. They towed it into an old island cove, and they've hidden there ever since."
"Huh… Well, I guess it's good to know they're still okay. Finding more of our sisters is never a bad thing."
"They're more than okay, actually…" Yolanda shook her head in disbelief. "I… I didn't think it was possible, but several of our sisters have actually reproduced with the prisoners! There are children on the island, half-Abyssal children!"
The Demon was briefly struck speechless. Kids? ACTUAL kids, with the humans? They weren't even Princesses… were they? "I… wow," She said, having trouble finding her voice. "This… this is great news!"
"No…" The pair paused and turned to the Princess. "This is more… than great news…"
She smiled.
"…this is a bargaining chip."
Well, I was outpaced by the author, but I doubt that means I can just skip over what I planned to write. I hope this is okay either way.
Gathering
XXXXXXXXXX
Shortly before departure
Sokie gripped the sealed letter in her hands ever tighter as she dove through the water, eyes scanning the water around her for the reef that marked her destination, deep in thought.
Mother was alive. ALIVE… and in the care of humans and shipgirls. Sokie was having a hard time believing it to be true—and she'd seen the proof with her own eyes—she couldn't begin to imagine how the others would handle it. They were finally beginning to move on, to accept Mother's supposed passing and let it fade into the past as they built a new future for themselves. Would they be happy? Would this just open up a wound that was just beginning to scar over? Would the humans even be willing to give them a chance to see her?
Shaking the thoughts from her head, Sokie noticed a splash of color in the corner of her vision. Carefully, she rose to the surface, checking every inch of sky above her for potential scoutplanes, before finally looking in the direction of the colorful object.
In front of her sat a massive cruise vessel—old and battered, the paint and lustre eroded over years of exposure to the elements, but no less impressive for it. Somewhere around eighty meters in length, the vessel was embedded up to the waterline in the coral reef that dominated this underwater mountain, stuck so firmly in place that the force needed to dislodge it far exceeded the force needed to simply demolish it where it lay. The coral was actually growing up into the hull in places, providing structure and support in spots where rust had begun to compromise the vessel's integrity.
Frankly, it looked like shit on the outside, but fortunately most of the interior had been designed to be watertight, and was in much better condition as a result… to the joy of the submarines that now called it home.
Wading up to the side of the vessel, Sokie lifted an arm from the water and banged it against the hull once, twice, three times. Everything was quiet, save for the creaks and groans of the hull, as Sokie waited for a response. Finally, with a distant rustle, a rope flew over the side of the yacht, into the water. Wrapping herself around the rope, Sokie gave it a tug with her free hand, and was swiftly pulled up towards the deck.
Three of her fellow submarines were waiting for her as she clambered up onto the floor. "Hello, sister," a Yo-class greeted her. "This is a rather unexpected visit."
"Yes, I'm sorry you weren't able to be notified in advance, Yolanda." Pausing to push a slick of hair out of her face, Sokie held up her letter. "Something incredibly important came up. I need to speak with our elder sister immediately."
The trio nodded and gestured for Sokie to follow. They stepped inside, navigating the mildly-deteriorated hallways as they descended into the bowels of the ship. After a minute of walking, the group arrived at a door—which at one point was engraved with the words "Game Room", but the word Game was scratched out, replaced with a hastily-scribbled "Throne". Opening the door and stepping in, the native submarines gestured for Sokie to join them.
At the opposite side of the repurposed room, a pale, white-haired woman rested in an old massage chair. "Hello, Sokie," the Submarine Princess greeted her with a smile. "I didn't realize you were scheduled to visit us this month."
"I'm not." Sokie stepped forward and held out the letter, which the Princess accepted. "Tanith demanded I do whatever it took to get this message to you. To guard it with my life. It is of the utmost importance."
The Princess stared at the opened letter, eyebrows furrowed. "What is it, sister?" Yolanda asked.
Finally, the Submarine Princess looked up, something like a glint in her eyes. Pulling out some paper and a pen, she rapidly scribbled down several notes and offered them to the Yo-class. "Yolanda, take these to our fastest, stealthiest kin. You, and they, are to set out for our sisters' fleets immediately."
"Yes, sister." Yolanda rushed off, orders in hand.
"Sokie," the Princess looked to the visitor, "Help me tell the others… to prepare to leave."
XXXXXXXXXX
"Upside down! Hold shark upside down!" A destroyer yipped. "It'll go stupid!"
"THE HELL I WI—GUH!" Sunny roared before she was yanked back underwater by her foe, a twenty-foot long Great White. The water above them churned as the fighters struggled against one another. After a few moments, the Demon's head managed to clear the water again. "I AIN'T NO DAMN ORCA!!"
"Oh, we know," Wonderous snarked. "An Orca wouldn't be getting its ass beat the way you are."
"YOU WA—GLUB!" Sunny was pulled underwater again. More underwater wrestling before she came back up. "YOU WANNA BE MY ROUND TWO, BITCH!? TRY ME, FUCKING TRY ME!!!" The members of Sunny's fleet broke out in snorts and chuckles. Their flagship always knew how to put on a good show.
This was one of the biggest sharks they'd come across in a while. With any luck, they would be eating well for at least the next week. First though, as was custom for them, someone had a go at subduing the beast with their bare hands. They often lost… but the rare victories were oh so exhilarating.
The fight continued for another minute with no clear victor in sight. Suddenly, the lone carrier of the fleet perked up as her scouts alerted her that something was approaching them. Taking a closer look, Wonderous picked up the IFF of one of their sisters. "Guys, we've got a friendly inbound. One of the submarines."
A head poked up out of the water yet again. "Huh?" Sunny cocked her head, eyes narrowed… before she was pulled back under by the shark. An abrupt ripping sound emanated from the water, and Sunny finally rose from the sea, leaning on it as it if was a solid surface as she pulled herself to her feet. "What could they want?'
"Sisters!" the Yo-class rose from the water and waved a hand at them excitedly… before pausing at the sight of the sea beneath Sunny's feet rapidly turning red. "Uh… what exactly is going on?"
XXXXXXXXXX
Sometimes, Ritou thought, becoming a Princess sucked.
Yeah, she could build ships now. Yeah, she could dominate the skies. But she was still a cruiser at heart. She'd rather be getting in close, breaking her opponents over her knee, ripping up smaller ships and lighting up bigger ones with her guns. She'd rather fight and die out on the seas than sit back and let her family do the dying for her.
And frankly, she'd rather be naked than wear that ridiculous dress. It was stuffy, it was overkill levels of frilly, and she had to wear A GODDAMN BONNET! Really, she envied Tanith. Sure, she was in pretty much the exact opposite situation—the most SHE had to protect her modesty was a scrap of metal and a fur coat—but that meant she wasn't constantly on the verge of overheating like Ritou was. And if it got cold… hey, she still had a fur coat.
She missed the days of her Ri-class bikini…
Ritou checked with her crew. According to her schedule, she was more or less done acting in an official capacity for the morning. She had the next few hours all to herself; she was free to relax. Sighing in relief, she reached up and ripped off her bonnet. Undoing her neck ribbon and the collar beneath, she gripped the top of her dress and started wiggling it down, off her body.
Suddenly, the door swung open. "Princess, we have a visitor! One of the subma—"
Ritou groaned loudly, the dress still over her hips. "Unbelievable…"
XXXXXXXXXX
Thank heavens, it had only been shark blood, rather than… well. None of the other options were very palatable.
Yolanda looked to the Na-class Destroyers cruising leisurely to either side of her. Sunny had told the pair to accompany the submarine, to help extend her observation range, so she could plot a fast and safe path for Sunny's group to follow as she pressed onward to the island Tanith and her fleet called home. Being destroyers, they were a touch more noticeable than Yolanda herself, which might pose an issue… but really, had there EVER been something crossing these waters that could have been a potential threat for them? In the Yo-class's experience, the very few human intrusions into this particular region of the ocean consisted solely of the occasional shipgirl patrol or scouter planes, both easily evaded or shooed away.
She glanced over to the nearby island. She'd been in this general area before. One of the other Princesses' scouts or fishers had noted some peculiar activity on the island—trees being cut down, random traces of smoke, the occasional odd sound—but cursory fly-overs showed that there was no port on the island, no visible buildings, no infrastructure. They really couldn't think of anything that might be on that island that could pose a threat to them, so they simply let it be.
Once more, Yolanda quietly surveyed the island. All was still. No noise whatsoever. Just as before, the island seemed completely desolate.
As she began to sail away, however, a sound reached her ears: the ringing of a bell.
Yolanda and her escorts snapped back towards the island, staring at it for several drawn-out seconds. Suddenly, the destroyer to her right let out a sound; she'd just spotted something dart inland from the inner edge of the shoreline.
Something was watching them.
Now on alert, the trio began to sail in a circle around the island, watching for any further suspicious movement. Around the time they had reached the opposite side of the island, Yolanda realized one particular indentation in the side of the island was more than an indentation; it actually appeared to be a natural pathway into the underside of the island. This warranted further investigation.
Motioning for the destroyers to follow her, Yolanda slowly advanced toward the cove, wary of the slightest movement in her field of view. It was as she sailed into the gaping maw of the cove that an IFF marker abruptly popped into existence in her system.
A remarkably familiar IFF marker.
XXXXXXXXXX
Regalia eyed the gauge on her water tanks as she sat in the shallow water of the island shore, facing the vast sea beyond.
Surely, at one point, there was a well or something on this island—some sort of water source where the residents wouldn't have to trudge all the way to shore and back, or maybe even wander further inland, in order to more easily get water to their people… and their crops. But whatever the case, it was gone now, nowhere to be found. So she instead had to collect water from the ocean, filter it, and use that. She couldn't argue that it wasn't preferable to carrying water to the farm bucket by agonizingly-slow bucket, but it still meant several hours spent laying in the water doing nothing, every couple of days, in order to refuel her freshwater tanks.
But her crops and her family were more than worth the boredom and discomfort.
As she sat there, waiting for her tanks to fill up, the Re-class noticed something on the horizon. She glanced down to the imps sitting on her thighs, handling the water pumps. "Hey, little guys, can we take five? I need to check something."
The imps shared a glance before shrugging. With a mild "Waagh", they pulled up the pumps and disappeared back into her hull. Regalia checked her tanks—a little over two-thirds full. That should be fine for the day, she thought. Rising to her feet, the Re-class stepped over to her knapsack, laid out on dry land, and opened it up. Reaching in, she pulled out a set of binoculars, using them to gaze out to sea.
She was greeted by a familiar sight—a head of silky black hair with a single horn. Setting the lens away, Regalia blew her foghorn—three quick blares, signaling friendlies. She didn't think Sunny and her group were supposed to be stopping by this early in the year, but what did it matter? They were always happy to have reunions. An unplanned visit just meant Sunny and her ilk could bring some fun when otherwise everyone would be stuck in their typical routine.
Regalia stood by, waiting as Sunny's fleet arrived at the shoreline. As their feet left the water and hit land, she rushed forward and gave the Demon a hug. "Hi, Aunt Sunny! Hi everyone!"
Chuckling, Sunny ruffled the Re-class's hair. "Hey, kid. How's life been treating you?"
Regalia glanced up to Sunny's face. "Pretty good, all things considered." Pulling away, she cocked her head. "You didn't warn us you were coming today."
Sunny closed her eyes, humming thoughtfully. "Actually, your mom summoned us here."
"Really? Why?"
"Said it was really important. But she didn't elaborate." Sunny glanced to her fleet, currently readjusting to walking on dry land. "Given the nature of the summons, I'd wager a guess and say all the other fleets are likely to be showing up, as well."
Regalia's eyes widened. "Really!?"
"Yep, it'll be just like old times." Sunny's smile faded, replaced by a concerned frown. "Just curious, but did anyone beat me here? I sent couple of my girls out ahead of me with the messenger, but I haven't heard back from them."
Regalia blinked. "Uh…no. You're all the first to show up in a while."
"…Odd…" Sunny shook her head. "Anyway, what do you say we head to the village, let everyone know we've arrived?"
Regalia smiled. "Sounds good to me."
XXXXXXXXXX
Inside the palace, a lone Princess sat quietly in her room, deep in thought.
It's not that she was upset that Mother was alive. Quite the opposite actually—she was having a hard time thinking of any prior point in her life where she was as happy as she was now. Not only had the traitors failed in their hateful crusade—countless ships and their matriarchs thrown away, just to hunt down one little girl—they had driven her, and others like her, into the warm, welcoming arms of the Humans and Shipgirls.
Reaching for the magazine at her side, she examined the cover for what felt like the millionth time. There wasn't too much that she could make out from the faded image, but… Mother looked healthy. Happy. From the article written within, the shipgirls had found her hidden among the rubble… the aftermath of the massacre of their family. Rather than interrogate her, torture her, dissect her… the humans took her in. Gave her a new home, a new family. Cared for her as one of their own. Even Aunt Wanko, far to the south, had been moved by the humans' kindness, had made peace with them for saving the life of her self-appointed 'little sister'. With all the love and support provided for her, Mother had been able to heal, grow, move on with her new life, just as Tanith and her sisters did now. The young Princess couldn't be happier for it.
No, the source of Tanith's worries was not her mother… but her daughter.
Long ago, with Mother's supposed loss still fresh in everyone's mind, she had resigned herself to the fact that Regalia may never be repaired. Although ultimately painless, the deformity was severe, and it extended to the very core of her being. It would take more than time in a dock to correct it, more than the undivided attention of a repair ship, even if that repair ship was the undisputed master of her craft.
No, the only way Regalia could ever be normal… was a near-total rebuild. To be stripped down, piece by piece, all the way to her misshapen keel. To cast that keel away, and reassemble her around a new, healthy spine. Re-mold each individual part of her warped body into its true shape, its intended shape, and return it to its place in her hull with absolute precision.
It would take an installation—a veteran installation, with untold years of experience constructing, maintaining, repairing hundreds and hundreds of ships, of every size and shape and model—to truly heal Regalia.
An installation like Mother… whom they had all believed dead and gone.
Tanith did not mean to belittle her Installation-class sisters. More than one of them had made the offer to try and help Regalia, and she was grateful to them for it. But they were young. Unguided. Their newfound capabilities were still foreign to them. And Aunt Wanko was simply not an option—she was just too far south, behind too many confirmed human convoy routes, which saw too much shipgirl activity for such an expedition to ever be viable. Faced with such insurmountable odds, what possible reason should Tanith give her daughter false hope?
But this magazine changed everything.
Mother was alive. She was safe. She was at peace with the humans and shipgirls.
She could heal Regalia.
Tanith's spirits were the highest they'd ever been in her life… yet at the same time, an unfathomable dread had come to rest in the pit of her stomach, fueled by a single question:
How would Regalia react to the news?
XXXXXXXXXX
Sunny had been the closest fleet, taking less than a day to reach the island. It was going to be quite some time before anyone else made it. Sunny's and Tanith's fleets spent the wait mingling, exchanging stories and souvenirs, and enjoying some baked potatoes courtesy of Regalia.
Nearly eight hours later, the sun was well on its way towards the western end of the sky as Ritou and Anchorage Princess finally made landfall, to everyone's joy. It only took another hour for the submarines to arrive, and a couple hours after that, Airfield Princess and Radioactive Airfield Demon finally rounded out the group. The island was gripped in twilight by that point, but nobody cared. For the first time in almost three years, everybody was together in the same place again. They weren't about to let a lack of daylight ruin the party. A few torches and bonfires were lit, and they went about their celebration under the stars.
It wasn't often Regalia stayed up as late as this; her crew ran a surprisingly tight schedule. But thankfully, they were willing to cut her some slack for the sake of a family reunion.
Stepping through the village, several of her aunts called out to her in greeting, and she responded back politely. Everyone was getting involved with something, be it listening to Ruadri's tales of the past, dancing and singing, sparring, cooking, or simply talking with one another. It made Regalia feel a peculiar sort of warmth inside her, seeing everyone coming together, using their odd talents to help their sisters have the best time they can… since there was simply no telling if a gathering like this would happen again.
She briefly wondered if this was what it was like in the outside world.
As she wandered through the square, she caught sight of a familiar cruiser. "Nero!" The Ne-class turned and smiled as her cousin rushed up to hug her. "I haven't seen you in ages!" Regalia exclaimed as she pulled back. "How have things been for you?"
"Hey, Regalia. You look like you're doing well." Nero glanced over to the side, where a couple of her fleet were working to set up a makeshift grill for her. "Things have been pretty good for me lately, to answer your question. I've taken up pretty much all of the cooking for my fleet now, not that anybody minds." She frowned. "I try to keep things mixed up, but I don't really have anything I can use to spice up the food I make, so I've got to get creative with brine and charring."
"Cool." Regalia brought a finger to her lips. "You planning on doing any of that tonight?"
Nero smirked. "You know it." Pausing, she leaned in as her smirk grew. "I also got something else going on."
"Is that so?" Regalia asked, curious.
Nero stuck her arms behind her back. "You remember way back when we first met? When I helped you catch those pigs running rampant in your farm, and you asked me what I'd do with them?" Regalia nodded. "Well, I figured it out. Close your eyes—it's something of a surprise."
"Huh?"
"Just do it, please?" Confused, the Re-class squeezed her eyes shut as Nero asked.
After several moments, she heard a rustling in front of her, followed by an odd grunting sound. "Okay, you can look again," Nero said. Now curious, Regalia opened her eyes.
Nero was holding a squirming little creature in her arms. Small, stubby limbs, vibrant pink skin with brown and black spots, a plump little belly, and a pair of big, curious eyes over a twitching snout.
"OHMYGODITSSOCUTE!!!"
Regalia couldn't help herself. Several nearby Abyssals stopped and looked towards the pair in response to the Re-class's delighted squeal.
"Isn't it?" Nero agreed, gently scratching the piglet's head with a fingertip. "I held onto those pigs, took 'em home with me, and I made a little pen to keep them in, to see if I could breed them for their meat. A little while ago, they finally made their first litter. I figured, why not celebrate the occasion by holding on to one of them? I mean, I've wrangled destroyers before, can't be too hard to take care of one little pig."
"Yeah…" some small part of Regalia couldn't help but feel Nero might be wrong on that point, but she didn't have it in her to point that out. "Can I hold it for a little bit?"
Nero held out her new pet. "Sure. Just be careful, it's a little skittish."
Regalin gingerly lifted the piglet from Nero's hands and held it to her chest. The curious animal stood wobbling on her palm and explored her face with its snout, eliciting a soft giggle from the battleship. She looked back up to Nero as she stroked the piglet. "Have you given it a name?"
The Ne-class scratched the back of her head. "…Not yet, actually. I've been hoping to go around and ask the others for suggestions…"
"What is that thing?" The two jumped at the voice directly next to them. "It's cute!"
Looking around them, Regalia and Nero discovered they had been surrounded several of their aunts, who looked at the piglet in Regalia's hands with fascination and adoration. "That critter is ADORABLE!" one of them cooed.
"Small! Small and fuzzy!"
"Didn't some of those things attack your crops, Regalia?"
"Yeah, but this one's a baby Nero brought over from her island. It's innocent," Regalia argued.
"Huh… I guess it's okay, then…" a pause. "You think I can hold it next?"
"Hey, I wanna hold it, too!"
"Me! Me!"
"But you don't have hands, Silver…"
"Relax everyone," Nero said with a grin, holding up a hand. "You can all take turns. Just be gentle, okay?"
Needless to say, the little piglet found itself the center of attention for quite some time.
XXXXXXXXXX
"It is time to tell the fleet the... good news... and to prepare for our... journey."
Sunny glanced from Tanith to her other sisters as they quickly rose from their seats and made for the exit, eager to inform their fleets of Mother's survival. Radioactive Airfield Demon and Anchorage Princess were practically vibrating with excitement, a gleeful smile plastered on both their faces. Airfield Princess and Submarine Princess still seemed a little shocked about the revelation, looking dumbstruck and blinking away tears. Ritou bore her typical laid-back expression, but Sunny couldn't help but take note of the extra spring in her step.
The Demon decided to let them handle breaking the news. She'd prefer to finish her drink first.
Sipping quietly from her goblet, taking a few seconds to savor the taste of citrus on her tongue, Sunny leaned back into her chair. "This is a huge risk, Tanith," she stated, glancing over to the eldest of their sisters.
Tanith looked solemn as she drew a circle on the map, their planned destination, and stowed the map away. "It is a risk… we have to take," She said. "We may be safe here… out of sight of the world… but all it takes… is one scoutplane… one curious patrol… in the right place and the right time…"
"And every shipgirl in the Pacific will turn their eyes—and guns—to us."
Tanith nodded. "We had… no reason to believe… the humans would grant us lenience. That they would… take us on our word. But Mother… she can validate… our sincerity in surrender. If we must be seen… I want it to be… on OUR terms."
She turned back, to the banner that hung over their heads. "We are but a… pale shadow of the… grand fleet we once were. But we are still many. Seeing our fleet, our numbers… might just give them pause. Provide us the time… to speak… to clarify our intentions."
"You don't think they might just shoot first, ask questions later?" Sunny asked. "What's to stop them from doing that?"
"The white flags…" Tanith pointed out.
"And if the flags are dismissed? Seen as a ruse, a ploy to let us get close and inflict maximum damage?" Sunny shook her head. "We need something more, some kind of leverage. Something that will discourage the humans from just shooting us on sight—"
At that moment, the doors to the throne room swung inward, revealing a submarine and two destroyers. The sub slumped over, gasping from exhaustion, and the Na-class destroyers collapsed on the floor, panting.
Sunny's eyes widened as she shot to her feet. "Yolanda! Girls! There you are!" She rushed forward, gripping the submarine by the shoulders. "Where the hell have you three been!? I've been worried about you guys all day!"
"…Odd island… hidden cove… prison…" the Yo-class mumbled between gasps.
"Slow down, slow down." Sunny held her hands up. "Take your time. I can wait a bit."
Yolanda spent several seconds catching her breath. No longer quite as blue in the face, she spoke again. "…Mother's prisoners… the wardens… we found them!" she exclaimed. "They're all still alive!"
Sunny blinked. "What!? You mean… Tandy and them?" A nod. "Even the humans?" Another nod. "How!?"
Yolanda pulled out a photo and handed it to Sunny. It showed decrepit a Canadian vessel, moored against a rocky outcropping. "They escaped on… their old ship. It's still afloat today, but it's more or less dead in the water. They towed it into an old island cove, and they've hidden there ever since."
"Huh… Well, I guess it's good to know they're still okay. Finding more of our sisters is never a bad thing."
"They're more than okay, actually…" Yolanda shook her head in disbelief. "I… I didn't think it was possible, but several of our sisters have actually reproduced with the prisoners! There are children on the island, half-Abyssal children!"
The Demon was briefly struck speechless. Kids? ACTUAL kids, with the humans? They weren't even Princesses… were they? "I… wow," She said, having trouble finding her voice. "This… this is great news!"
"No…" The pair paused and turned to the Princess. "This is more… than great news…"
She smiled.
"…this is a bargaining chip."
